Spatial Analysis of Seasonal Changes of Vegetation Cover in Selected Areas of Najaf Governorate Using Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Techniques

CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL
AND APPLIED SCIENCES

Volume: 04 Issue: 05 | May 2023 ISSN: 2660-5317
https://cajotas.centralasianstudies.org
Spatial Analysis of Seasonal Changes of Vegetation Cover in Selected

Areas of Najaf Governorate Using Geographic Information Systems and
Remote Sensing Techniques
Hussain Muhi Ali, Zainb Waad
University of Al-Kufa/ Faculty of Education for Girls
Received 7th Mar 2023, Accepted 5th Apr 2023, Online 8th May 2023
Abstract: The current study aims to reveal the spatial and temporal changes of the vegetation cover for
both the spring and autumn seasons, by taking advantage of the integration between remote sensing
techniques and geographic information systems, utilizing the Landsat 8 images for the years 2014 and
2022, detecting the most important changes that occurred during this period. The NDVI index was
adopted to map vegetation cover and calculate their area for each season, also comparing the change in
the areas at the seasonal level for the years 2014 and 2022, as well as one season and another for the
same period. The results indicated that there are changes in the area of vegetation cover, whether on the
seasonal or annual level. The results of the study also showed that there is a clear and significant
deterioration in the area of vegetation cover during the autumn of 2022, whether when compared with the
area of vegetation cover in the spring of the same year or the spring and autumn seasons of 2014.
Keywords: Landsat8 , NDVI, Vegetation cover, Najaf, Iraq.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
The meaning of vegetation cover is the amount of land covered by plants of any type, which is the result
of the overlap and interaction between many factors, including natural factors and human factors [1]. The
state of vegetation cover is an important indicator of environmental deterioration [2]. The studying of the
vegetation cover state and observing its changes, whether positive or negative, is one of the important
topics that have contact with people's lives, especially with the increase in population growth and the
increase in demand for foodstuffs [3]. The vegetation cover is one of the most important natural wealth
and resources, especially in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, which do not have the ability to restore their
balance without the intervention of the human factor [4].
Remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems are among the advanced techniques that
have been used a lot in classifying vegetation in order to identify its characteristics and geographical
distribution [5]. These techniques are characterized by their efficiency and ability compared to traditional
methods by providing visual historical records for any region [6]. The use of spectral indices is one of the
best means to classify and monitor land covers, including vegetation cover, as the vegetation index is one
of the most popular spectral indices used to detect vegetation in terms of its density, health, and spread
[7]. The work of spectral indices depends mainly on dividing the reflectivity values of one band by the
© 2023, CAJOTAS, Central Asian Studies, All Rights Reserved 46
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CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES
Volume: 04 Issue: 05 | May 2023, ISSN: 2660-5317
corresponding values in the other band, thus clarifying the spectral reflectance curve of the two bands,
regardless of the reflectance values absorbed by the spectral bands [8]. With regard to the vegetation
index, its work depends on measuring the reflection rate for both the near-infrared (NIR) and red (R)
bands, and depending on the spectral characteristics of the plant. In the red band, it depends on the
chlorophyll content, while in the near-infrared band, it depends on the structure of the internal structure of
the plant cell, in addition to other plant characteristics in terms of vegetation, biomass, physical
characteristics, etc. [9].
The current study aims to employ automated processors of Landsat satellite images through the use of the
vegetation index and change detection tools in order to know the seasonal effects on the vegetation cover
between two different seasons (spring and autumn) and on both the seasonal and annual levels for the
period from 2014 to 2022.
Study Area
In Iraq, the Al-Najaf governorate is a well-known and significant region [10,11]. The study area is located
in the northeastern part of Najaf Governorate, bordered by Karbala Governorate from the northeast
northwest, Babel Governorate from the northeast, and Al-Qadisiyah Governorate from the east, and
between longitudes 43° 40' and 44° 40' E, latitudes 31° 35' and 32° 21' N. The study area includes both
the Najaf center district, Al-Haydariyyah district, Al-Kufa center district, Al-Hurriyah district, and Al-
Hira district, with an area of 3690 km2, Figure (1).
Figure (1) The spatial borders of the study area

Materials and methods

Data and tools
In this study, the Landsat 8 and 9 satellite images were utilized for the years 2014 and 2022, and for two
seasons, which are the spring season, represented by the March satellite images, and the autumn season,
represented by the September satellite images Table (1). The Landsat 8 and 9 satellite images of were
obtained from the US Geological Survey website (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/).
Table (1) Characteristics of Landsat satellite images used in this study
Year Season Acquisition date Satellite Sensors Path Row
4102 Spring February 26, 2014 Landsat 8 OLI 969 38
March 23, 2014 168
Autumn September 15, 2014 968
September 22, 2014 969
4144 Spring March 4, 2022 Landsat 8 OLI 969 88
March 13, 2022 968
Autumn September 28, 2022 Landsat 8 OLI 969
September 29, 2022 Landsat 9 OLI-2 968
Methodology
The methodology of this study included digital images processing of Landsat 8 and 9 satellite through the
use of the NDVI, which is one of the most important spectral indices used in monitoring vegetation cover,
and it can be calculated through the following equation [12]:
……1
The values of the vegetation index range between -1 and 1, as the positive values indicate the presence of
vegetation cover, and the higher values indicate the density and health of the plant, while the negative
values indicate the rest of the land cover classes [13, 14].
In order to detect changes in the vegetation cover, it has relied in this study on the use the change
detection tools that were developed by [15], which specialized in detecting changes in the vegetation
cover and work within the ArcGIS environment. This tool depends on the method of difference in the
results of the NDVI vegetation index for two different time periods, which will produce a thematic map
with numerical values confined between =2 to +2. The map units that approach positive values indicate
areas of increased vegetation until they reach the largest value. Which is +2, which represents the areas in
which the largest increase in vegetation cover occurred, while negative values will indicate the areas in
which a decrease in vegetation cover occurred until it reaches the largest negative value, which is -2,
which represents the areas in which the largest decrease in vegetation cover occurred. This increase or
decrease in the vegetation cover will require calculating its area, and this can't be done without
reclassifying the resulting change detection map and then calculating the area of each class on this map,
which was reclassified into five varieties using the method of equal classes centered around a central
point. The final output of this developed tool will be two maps and one table, the first map will represent
the change layer with values confined between -2 and +2, and the second output will represent a thematic
map divided into five classes showing the spatial distribution of change within the study area, while a
table is showing the automatic calculation of an area for each class.

Results and discussion

Interpretation of the NDVI results
Figure (2) shows the NDVI results of the spring and autumn seasons for the years 2014 and 2022. The
positive values or white color indicate the spread places of vegetation, either negative values or dark areas
(gray or black) refer to vacant areas of vegetation. Figure (3) shows the result of extracting the vegetation
cover from the NDVI at a threshold of 0.1 of the NDVI value using ArcGIS 10.8.
The spatial spread of vegetation covers within the study area as shown in Figure (3) indicates that the
vegetation cover is concentrated in the eastern side of the study area on the banks of the Euphrates River
and its branches, while the central or western regions are devoid of vegetation, which is a natural result
because the western areas have no water sources. In the central region, despite the presence of the largest
water body represented by the Najaf Sea, with the spread of many small seasonal lakes sometimes, the
water of these lakes is salty water due to the spread of many salt deposits with the low level of the land in
this area, thus making it unsuitable for agricultural activity.
Figure (2) NDVI of the spring and autumn seasons for the years 2014 and 2022
Table (2) shows the lower and upper values of the NDVI with the calculated area of vegetation cover,
while Figure (4) is a chart showing the comparison between the areas of vegetation cover for the spring
and autumn seasons and for the years 2014 and 2022. The average of the highest values of the NDVI was

0.52, which is a normal value indicating that the study area has a vegetation cover of medium density and
that the study area is free of dense forests. The highest value of the NDVI was in the spring of 2014
(0.58), which indicates the density of vegetation cover in this season with an increase in the area of the
cover, as it occupied an area of 1200 km2, which represented 33% of the study area.
In general, the values NDVI may not reflect the area of the vegetation cover as much as they indicate the
density of the cover and the high percentage of chlorophyll in the plants. In terms of area, the highest
areas of vegetation cover were in the spring of 2014 and spring of 2022, while the lowest areas of
vegetation were in the autumn of 2022 and spring of 2007.
Figure (3) Extracted vegetation cover of the spring and autumn seasons for the years 2014 and 2022
Table (2) The lower and upper values of the NDVI with the area and percent of vegetation cover
Year Season Highest Lower Vegetation Vegetation
NDVI NDVI Cover Area Cover Area
values values Km2 %
4192 ‫الربيع‬ 18589 -18817 9411 88
‫الخريف‬ 18292 -18415 96882 47
4144 ‫الربيع‬ 18522 -18488 988 47
‫الخريف‬ 18518 -18429 582 95
‫المعدل‬ 0.52 -0.27

Figure (4) A comparison between the areas of vegetation cover for the spring and autumn seasons
and for the years 2014 and 2022.
Analysis and detection of vegetation cover changes
1- Changes detection at the seasonal level
Figures (5) and (6) represent the change detection maps of the vegetation cover between spring and
autumn for the years 2014 and 2022, respectively, through which the spatial distribution of changes can
be observed. Table (3) shows the calculation of the areas for detecting the change in the vegetation cover
between the spring and autumn seasons for the years 2014 and 2022, respectively. The vegetation cover
changes for the year 2014 show that there is a clear concentration of decreased areas east of the study area
(red color east of Kufa city) and east of Al-Haydaria city, Figure (5). As for the vegetation cover changes
in the year 2022, there was a severe decrease and a significant deterioration of the vegetation cover along
the east of the study area (almost most of Al-Huriyah city and the Al-Hira city in the southeast) through
the spread of the red color in Figure (6). The change in the vegetation cover in the year 2014 was the
highest compared to the year 2022, as the area of land that was not changed was estimated at 2628 km2
(about 73% of the area of the study area) in the year 2022, while in the year 2014, the area of land that
was not changed was 2269 km2 (About 63% of the study area, Table (3) and Figures (5 & 6)

Figure (5) Change detection in the vegetation cover between Spring and Autumn 2014
Figure (6) Change detection in the vegetation cover between Spring and Autumn 2014
Table (3) Area changes of vegetation cover for the years 2014, 2022
Increase Some Unchanged Some Decrease Decrease
Km2 Increase Km2 Km2 Km2
Km2
Spring-Autumn 203.0 690.4 2269.0 330.9 100.7
Seasons 2014
Spring-Autumn 80.5 214.2 2628.0 358.8 312.5
Seasons 2022
2- Changes detection at the yearly level

The vegetation cover changes were analyzed at the annual level by comparing the results of the NDVI for
two time periods: spring 2014-spring 2022, and autumn 2014-autumn 2022. Figures (7) and (8) represent
the vegetation cover changes between the spring season for the period 2014-2022, and between the

autumn season for the period 2014-2022, respectively. The figures show the spatial distribution of
vegetation cover changes within the study area. Table (4) shows the calculation of the area of change in
the vegetation cover for the period 2014-2022 and for each of the spring and autumn seasons.
The most variable period for vegetation cover was the period between spring 2014 and spring 2022 when
the land cover that remained unchanged reached 1968 km2, or 54% of the study area. As for the period
during the autumn 2014-autumn 2022, the periods were the least changed in terms of vegetation cover, as
the area of land that did not change in vegetation cover reached 2731.9 km 2, with percentages reaching
76% of the area of the study area. The results of the vegetation cover changes also indicated that the
changes during the spring season were higher than the changes during the autumn season. Perhaps the
most important reasons for this are that the dryness of the lands and the lack of rain in the months
preceding the fall season lead to a decrease in the area of vegetation cover in the autumn season compared
to the vegetation cover in the spring season.
Figure (7) Change detection in the vegetation cover between the Spring of 2014 and the Spring of
2022
Figure (8) Change detection in the vegetation cover between the Autumn of 2014 and the Autumn
of 2022

Table (4) Area changes of vegetation cover for the years 2014, 2022 at yearly level
Season change Increase Some Unchanged Some Decrease
Km2 Increase Km2 Decrease Km2
Km2 Km2
Spring 2014- 96.5241 340.613 1968.23 1011.45 177.153
Spring 2022
Autumn 2014- 55.0125 241.898 2731.96 285.242 279.861
Autumn 2022
Conclusions
1. Remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems are among the advanced techniques
that have been used a lot in classifying vegetation in order to identify its characteristics and
geographical distribution. This integration between geographic information systems with remote
sensing techniques will give quick results that have high accuracy with little cost and less effort
compared to traditional methods.
2. The spatial spread of vegetation covers within the study area indicates that the vegetation cover is
concentrated in the eastern side of the study area on the banks of the Euphrates River and its branches,
while the central or western regions are devoid of vegetation.
3. The average of the highest values of the NDVI was 0.52, which is a normal value indicating that the
study area has a vegetation cover of medium density and that the study area is free of dense forests.
4. The vegetation cover changes show that there is a clear concentration of decreased vegetation areas
along the east of the study area.
5. The results of the vegetation cover changes also indicated that the changes during the spring season
were higher than the changes during the autumn season. Perhaps the most important reasons for this
are that the dryness of the lands and the lack of rain in the months preceding the fall season lead to a
decrease in the area of vegetation cover in the autumn season compared to the vegetation cover in the
spring season.
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Spatial Analysis of Seasonal Changes of Vegetation Cover in Selected Areas of Najaf Governorate Using Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Techniques

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CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL

AND APPLIED SCIENCES

Spatial Analysis of Seasonal Changes of Vegetation Cover in Selected

© 2023, CAJOTAS, Central Asian Studies, All Rights Reserved 46

Figure (1) The spatial borders of the study area

© 2023, CAJOTAS, Central Asian Studies, All Rights Reserved 47

Materials and methods

© 2023, CAJOTAS, Central Asian Studies, All Rights Reserved 48

Results and discussion

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2- Changes detection at the yearly level

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